Friday, 15 July 2016

31 Weird and Wonderful Facts About Me

After nearly five years of blogging (my blogiversary - and birthday - is a week tomorrow), I thought I might share some weird and wonderful facts about myself that you may find interesting. Or just downright strange.

Either way, I thought this would delve a little further into what makes me tick: Stuff you just can't fit onto an About Page. So there are some random facts, my loves, likes and dislikes, a few quirks and even some interesting statistics.

So before I get all nerdy on you I'll leave my 31 facts with you to read, chuckle at and enjoy at your leisure... Happy Friday!

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR FAVOURITE FACT IS IN THE COMMENTS - OR TWEET ME @NOTLAMB! (AND TELL ME IF YOU DO ANY OF THE WEIRD THINGS TOO SO I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE...!!)

1. Bubble baths

I can't bear bubble baths - baths yes, but no bubbles. I can't stand them touching my skin... It makes me shudder just thinking about it.

2. My name

I dislike my my name being abbreviated (Cathy, Cath, Cat, Cate, etc). But weirdly I will accept "C" and one other name (see point 5).

3. Eating habits

I will eat almost anything - I was a fussy child but decided that it was ridiculous to keep telling myself I hated certain foods and made a conscious decision to try things I thought I didn't like. My favourite meal now has to be an Indian curry, but when I was 18 I went out for a curry for a friend's birthday and ate nothing because I thought it was the most heinous food known to man.

4. I've never seen...

I've never seen a Harry Potter movie, or an episode of Downton Abbey, or Mamma Mia (all out of choice). I have, however, seen spoofs of all three and could never take the real things seriously anyway.

I'VE NEVER SEEN A HARRY POTTER MOVIE, OR AN EPISODE OF DOWNTON ABBEY, OR MAMMA MIA (ALL OUT OF CHOICE).

5. Nickname

My four-year-old great nephew couldn't say Catherine so he calls me Cakkie. The name has stuck and now even my husband sometimes calls me Cakkie.

6. Children

I'm a great aunt twice over, have been an auntie since the age of 14 and adore children, yet I've never had any desire to have children of my own. (Oh, and no one calls me Auntie Catherine - just Catherine. Or Cakkie.)

7. Animals

I'm obsessed by giraffes. They are the most brilliant animals ever. Sloths are a very close second.

8. Fast food

I've never, ever had a KFC, and probably only go to McDonalds once every few years (despite living within walking distance of one). I have maybe two takeaways a year - it's July and I've not yet had one this year.

9. Musical instruments

I'm teaching myself to play the bongos... it's taking a long time and I'm pretty rubbish but I love it. (If anyone knows of any bongos teachers in the West Country please get in touch).

10. Obsession #1

I'm a tiny bit OCD about some things. For example, if I physically turn around for anything I can't keep going the same way 360°, I have to "unwind" myself back the same way otherwise I feel weird.

11. Obsession #2

For the same reason I have to have all the labels of jars and tins facing the front in the cupboard and towels folded and straight on the towel rail. Seen Sleeping With the Enemy? I couldn't see what the problem was there...

12. Childhood misconceptions #1

When I was little I used to think people who worked in shops had to take all the goods home with them every night. I didn't think the things would be safe if left alone in the shop overnight.

WHEN I WAS LITTLE I USED TO THINK PEOPLE WHO WORKED IN SHOPS HAD TO TAKE ALL THE GOODS HOME WITH THEM EVERY NIGHT.

13. Childhood misconceptions #2

I also used to think that when you were born you had a baby name, and when you grew up you took on an adult name. I asked my mum what she was called when she was a baby as I couldn't understand why you'd call a baby Beryl (or Joan or Edna like her sisters).

14. Phobias

I have a terrible fear of heights, but still make myself do things that involve heights just to try and cure my fear. It has yet to work.

15. Crush

I'm a little bit of a fan (translation: MASSIVE fan) of James McAvoy - I've now seen him three times on stage in the West End. When I told my husband that he's (sadly) divorcing his wife he said as quick as anything "Don't get any ideas."

16. Travel experiences

I live in England and have been to places all over the world (including Australia) but I've never been to neighbouring Scotland or Ireland. My bucket list still includes - amongst many others - Iceland for the Northern Lights, Tuscany, an African safari and Machu Picchu.

17. Eyebrows

I'm known for my groomed eyebrows but they're a naturally crazy shape that were a source of fascination for others when I was young.

18. Emotional

I cry at anything and everything on TV. My record for being in tears at a movie is for [SPOILER ALERT] Disney's animated Tarzan when his parents get killed by the leopard a few minutes in. I was a fully grown adult when I first saw it.

19. Favourite singer

If I could choose to sing like anyone it'd be Karen Carpenter. That woman's voice gets me every time.

20. Freckles

I had loads of freckles when I was younger and they've faded over the years, so I've been subtly drawing them back on for over 20 years. They are as much part of my make-up routine as mascara or my eyebrows.

21. Dreams

I have the craziest dreams - I can regularly recall the whole plot of an action-style movie or dreams about being friends with celebrities or other weird sh*t. I've been out to lunch with Victoria Beckham and Hugh Jackman. I've walked into my bathroom to find a fully-dressed George Michael standing in my bath. ("Sorry, George.") I've hung out the washing helped by a gorilla who was wearing a Victorian mop-cap and apron.

I HAVE THE CRAZIEST DREAMS - I CAN REGULARLY RECALL THE WHOLE PLOT OF AN ACTION-STYLE MOVIE OR DREAM ABOUT BEING FRIENDS WITH CELEBRITIES OR OTHER WEIRD SH*T.

22. Sleep

I'm a terrible morning person and could sleep for England. As a teenager on a family holiday driving down to Spain my mother recalls how I "slept through the whole of France".

23. Movies

My two favourite movies of all time are Breakfast at Tiffanys and Terminator 2, summing up my eclectic taste.

24. Techno phobe

I have no idea about computer techie stuff - I don't know the difference between MB or GB, for example. If someone asks what the memory of my phone/camera/data card thingy is my eyes just glaze over... It could be 2MB or 1000GB or 1.21 gigawatts, I don't have a clue.

25. Marriage facts #1

I proposed to my husband ten years ago (he said yes). Our wedding plans took six weeks from proposal to wedding.

25. Marriage facts #2

I've been a bride twice as many times as I've been a bridesmaid (twice vs once). Number of marriage proposals received in my life: None.

27. I've never attended...

I've never been to a hen (bachelorette) party, nor did I have one before my own wedding. Nor do I ever want to go to one.

I'VE NEVER BEEN TO A HEN (BACHELORETTE) PARTY, NOR DID I HAVE ONE BEFORE MY OWN WEDDING.

28. I've never owned...

Despite growing up in the 80s I'd never owned any kind of Walkman or personal music device (I never wanted one) until I got an iPod a few years ago in my late 30s.

29. English roots

I'm a bit of a Southern (England) mongrel as to where I come from: Born in South London, grew up in Reading, studied in Surrey, lived in London, now live in Devon. I never quite know what to say when people ask where I come from.

30. Canadian connection

My family moved to Canada for two years (for my dad's job) when I was three. Having learned my alphabet on Sesame Street,40 odd years later I still have to force myself to say X Y Zed - the British way -instead of X Y Zee.

31. Ageing

I've decided that when I reach 50 I'm going to let my natural hair colour grow out. I'm really grey now so I'm hoping another six years will mean it's well on its way to being silvery white.

Great post Catherine! Im with you on the obsession #1 & #2, I thought it was only me who did #1 I have done this since being a child. I've always though I was a little weird for doing it, glad to know I have a fellow weirdo with me :) xx

Hehe thanks Gail - and OMG you do it too??!! My husband thinks it's the weirdest thing ever but the only way I can explain it to him is that it makes me feel like a coiled spring, where you have to uncoil back to your original position. Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone with that one!!!!! ;)))

it was interesting to read although i didn't understand some things due to cultural differences. It is interesting that I also was contemplating the idea of going natural after 50, since Im sick and tired of retouching my roots every 3-4 weeks. That's also 6 years from now. Love reading your blog :)

Love getting to know you a little bit more Catherine (or should I say Cakkie?). Some wonderful tidbits here too and I'm particularly delighted to learn that you're going to let your natural hair colour shine at 50! I stopped dyeing mine about 4 years ago and I've got tonnes of silvery strands - my stylist often tells me that people pay to have that done these days!! I'm not a morning person either - I hate people talking to me too early lol!Suzy xxwww.suzyturner.com

I'm with you on the sleep thing. I always say I'm a mid-morning person. Hate getting up early! Love that you have a Canadian connection, Catherine. I'm wondering where in Canada you lived. FYI... we Canadians also say "zed" for z... but since Sesame Street is an American show they say "zee."

Oh I didn't know that about Zee/Zed in Canada, Susan!! We lived in London, Ontario - right on the border with the US. We also travelled all down the east coast of the US so my memories are as much of America as they are about Canada :)

There is only one way to spell Catherine and only one way of using it - naturally! Or Ca-Ca as termed by my nephew 30 years ago [and never Auntie Catherine too!]Love your blog and inspiration even at 56 we ladies need inspiration-even it does result in credit card bashing [am now a Hobbs convert...]Thankyou!Catherine B.

Really enjoyed reading this Catherine. I am tempted to grow out to grey, but it's really salt and peppery.We have a few things in common here, I love Karen Carpenter. Apparently the show doing the rounds is fantastic xwww.vanityandmestyle.com

Wow Catherine. I love all these details. I too don't understand why other people don't/ can't line up their jar labels. I would even go as far to say my jars and tins have an exact spot in the cupboards- tomatoes on the left by the beans, oils on the right, smallest to the front etc and I get very upset when it becomes disorganised. I love giraffes, it's the eyelashes, smooth movements and long long grey tongues. Amazing animals. Hedgehogs come in at a close second. Thank you for the wonderful blog encouraging ladies of 'a certain age' know they can be fashionable and not look like mutton dressed up as a lamb.

Didn't think I could love you more but devoured this interview and now LOVE you more. My eyebrows were a point of fascination as a kid too-more Carpet World samples style here-love James M too, sad he's divorcing, thought they were super-strong. Love that you proposed to the men in your life -atta girl and now want to call you Cakkie. I have a 20 funny things about me on my about page I wrote ages ago, think I need to update it as life has become funnier for sure these last few years! If I do, will tag you x

Oh what a wonderful post. I love to hear these quirky things. Now I want to do this too, but I cannot because that would really be stupid, pinching your idea. Love it.That James actor is really nice, but your husband looks a bit like him, don't you think?What you had with curry, I had with pizza. I was a difficult eater too. When I was 21 I had my first pizza and only ate the rim, the crust, as I thought the rest was horrible. Now I love it.Obsession with labels and folding etc? Hmmm I have that too. Towels, the way the dishes are put in the dishwasher etc.But I know that is not normal haha.And I cry at anything on TV as well. We have quite a few things in common.And you write so well. Thank you for this most entertaining post.Greetje

Tee hee. Really chuckled at some of these. I have never seen Downton, Harry Potter, or Mama Mia. People look at me like I'm crazy when I say I have no interest! Hah! Regarding names, I am Kathleen. I became Kat from a nickname from my parents when I was young. I hate any other derivatives (directed to me, not other people). Except in my blog name. That was the closest I could get and be consistent across all our channels. Still feels weird when people refer to me as Kitty! x

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